Flamingo Dancing...

So, we got a press release about the Abilene Zoo getting a dozen new flamingos to its current flock. And I got out there the second day that they were on display after having been in quarantine. So, I get out there and start shooting. When I got there I had no idea which the new ones were and which the old ones were. So, I start shooting the pretty pink ones, since when I think of flamingos I think of the pink plastic pieces of yard art my grandmother had in her front yard. Well, as I was shooting I happened to see one of the zookeepers I know, and asked which are the new ones. Then she pointed me out to the greyish looking ones. Which of course I didn't have much of since they didn't look quite as nice. It turned out that flamingos don't get their bright pink feathers until about two years old. Well, at least I was eventually able to tell the difference.

While I was headed over there I got a text from an editor saying it was going on the front page as a standalone photo, since there wasn't much other decent art with the front stories (I think the only other local photo was from a press conference). I did end up running two different photos with an explanation of why the new flamingos weren't pink. I ended up shooting a lot more photos than I had planned, partially since I shot the wrong ones at first, but I did end up with some photos I liked of both the old and the new birds.